PinnedStephen MatherThe Cultic Bug In Our SystemWhy do people join cults? It’s a question I get asked from time to time in my role as an organisational psychologist, a former member of a…Dec 6, 2023Dec 6, 2023
PinnedStephen MatherWhat should we think about the religious practice of shunning?I was raised as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a group that practices shunning. I left when I was 30 and, although I was not formally shunned…May 7, 20222May 7, 20222
Stephen MatherAm I awake yet? Leaving a cult: Matrix or Inception?For many of us who have left a cult, the film ‘The Matrix’ is very special. The concept of being manipulated and controlled by a malevolent…Dec 19, 20231Dec 19, 20231
Stephen MatherManagement of a CultCults are the subject of much popular interest for many reasons. They often seem to have strange beliefs and the followers seem to do…Jul 31, 2023Jul 31, 2023
Stephen MatherWhy People Join Cults and Why They StayWhy do people join cults and why do they stay? The answer to this question can be found in the basic psychological needs that we all share…Apr 25, 2022Apr 25, 2022
Stephen MatherHow Cults Keep You MotivatedCults are a type of organization and in this blog, I explore cults through the discipline of organizational psychology. This time I’m…Dec 9, 2021Dec 9, 2021
Stephen MatherCults: A Wicked Problem.To ex members, cults are dangerous and ruin lives, to current members it is their way of life and their identity. To some researchers cults…Nov 13, 2021Nov 13, 2021
Stephen MatherLeadership and Management of a CultIn this series of essays I’m calling ‘Cults as Organizations’, based upon special episodes of the podcast Cult Hackers, I use the research…Oct 3, 2021Oct 3, 2021
Stephen MatherIsomorphism and CultsAn area of intense interest within organizational psychology is that of change, and the received wisdom is that organizations need to…Aug 4, 2021Aug 4, 2021
Stephen MatherGoodbye Excellence, Hello BricolageThe goal of excellence is surely a noble one. Who wants to just be good enough? Who wants to be known as just ‘okay’? Why would you not…Jul 23, 2021Jul 23, 2021
